IMPACT and our Waccamaw VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters) serve the 400,000 residents of Horry County, SC. We are building a facility here where we can sleep, feed, and shower the 1,000's of volunteers that come each year to help us rebuild in times of disaster. We have experienced 4 hurricanes and flooding in the last 6 years alone. Over the years, we have used churches to house the volunteers, but our churches are exhausted of hosting the teams as it displaces their ongoing programs. The major concern is that most of our churches do not have fire sprinklers in the buildings and windows are often painted shut. We are only one disaster away from a fire or other tragedy and hurting our valuable volunteers. We must take action now and get this facility built and be proactive before the next storm. Many ask what we will use the building for outside of times of disaster. After each storm, it takes about 2 years of rebuilding to get all of the families back to safe livable conditions. We then transition into repairing homes of the poor and low income. We prioritize our senior adults and veterans to serve them first. Many of their homes are in need of new roofs or handicap ramps. They have not chosen to neglect making repairs to their homes. There are often no funds left at the end of the month when they only receive a social security check each month. By the time they have purchased some groceries and paid the utilities there is nothing left to make the needed repairs. Our volunteers respond and we partner with great companies to donate materials and we can stretch every donation 3 to 4 times further.
Will you help us by giving generously today so we can be ready for the disaster tomorrow? Thank you for assisting so many families get back into their homes and providing a safe place for volunteers to rest each day before going out to volunteer another day.
